Anyone got any experience of changing/upgrading front anti roll bar link arms on a Scout/Octavia?

My Subaru Forester used to suffer from a rattly front end, which was always due to the bushes wearing in the AR bar links. New link arms sorted it, but needed doing a bit too often for my liking.

My Scout has the same rattles now, and dealers have confirmed play in the AR bar link arms.

Looking at them the other day when I had the wheels off, this doesn't appear to be too difficult a DIY job. They're different from the Subaru ones, in that they've got ball joints at each end. So:

1. Anyone got any tips on fitting? Guess you need to manipulate the height of the hub to line up all the mounting holes, but that should be easy enough with a trolley jack + axle stands.

2. Anyone any recommendations on parts? Looking on spares sites yields 3-4 brands at between £16 and £35-odd per pair. OR Larkspeed have some Powerflex ones (with I assume have poly inserts somewhere in the ball joints). Problem is there isn't a picture of them, so will need to check. Quite fancy the idea of polybushes, if only for the increased life that they should give - I tend to do a fair bit of rough track and field work, so even a small amount of flattening on rubber bushes manifests itself as knocking.

Thoughts anyone?

Cheers, Paul

There not common to go in Octavia ll , check ur wishbone bushes.

I have to change my drop links every 30,000kms approx.  (that's every 3 months for me)

Yep did mine a couple of weeks ago. Took me about 10 mins a side inc removal and fitting of wheel. Just give them a gud spray of wd40. Oh they are multi spine not star drive if they are oem. You get wot you pay for at the end of the day but I would look to buy them larkspeed ones if they are poly.

Edited 10 April, 201214 yr by B.DIFFERENT

Thanks guys.

Mine are the originals and have done about 48k miles, but really they could have been changed much sooner as it was probably rattling at about 20k.

B.Different - could you explain the multi spine/star drive bit. I assume you're referring to the locking nuts? I didn't take a good look - they looked like ordinary hex drive nuts.

Anyone got a torque setting for the nuts?

Cheers.

Thanks guys.

Mine are the originals and have done about 48k miles, but really they could have been changed much sooner as it was probably rattling at about 20k.

B.Different - could you explain the multi spine/star drive bit. I assume you're referring to the locking nuts? I didn't take a good look - they looked like ordinary hex drive nuts.

Anyone got a torque setting for the nuts?

Cheers.

Can u discribe the noise ur getting is it a thump or a rattle and is it only when u go slow on uneven road?

I'd say it was a light knocking and it is worst/most noticeable going slow on uneven roads. Potholes don't have the same effect. Even worse going slow on a field, e.g. a showground, stubble field or grass field car park. Every little corrugation in the ground seems to cause a knock, which makes me think it's a 'lighter' component like ARB link arms rather than anything heavier like a suspension arm bush. It's also exactly the same as i had on the Forester, but i could be guilty of diagnosing on the basis of past experience with a different car.

What u thinking?

Edited 10 April, 201214 yr by Howardian1

I'd say it was a light knocking and it is worst/most noticeable going slow on uneven roads. Potholes don't have the same effect. Even worse going slow on a field, e.g. a showground, stubble field or grass field car park. Every little corrugation in the ground seems to cause a knock, which makes me think it's a 'lighter' component like ARB link arms rather than anything heavier like a suspension arm bush. It's also exactly the same as i had on the Forester, but i could be guilty of diagnosing on the basis of past experience with a different car.

What u thinking?

It's interesting I have the same thing, I really notice it driving into the fuel station driving over the pavings or water gullys , if I drive over them faster I hear nothing. Seems most mk5 golf owners having the same issue, to me it sounds like top shock mounts only lower down.

If you clean out the end it should be multispline like all vags have moved to. Don't try forcing the wrong part in or you may fine yourself in a world of pain. You may fine that the anti roll bar bushes may be worn to if the noise persist.

Thanks for the heads-up on the multi-spline issue - I'll have a good look before I dive in and start riving about on the nuts. From what i've read on other threads, the two main mounting bushes are integral to the bar itself, so it's a full replacement job if they've gone. That's why I was looking at drop links first, as you can do those on their own.

Just to add to the mystery of why this noise only happens at low speed, I reckon it only happens on light throttle/coasting too, when there isn't a lot of torque going to the wheels.

On the way home from work I stop to walk the dogs at the top of a steep little hill on a rural road. The hill has a hairpin and typical 'wavy' corrugated bumps, and so needs power to get up. Plenty of scope for wheel tramp on the inside wheel, if the car wasn't 4WD.

No noise coming up the hill, but knocking like mad when I coast onto the unsealed parking area...

I'd agree with the description of shock mounts but lower down, but will test this power on/power off theory as well. A mate reckoned it was steering-related, so that might point to track rod ends, but I'm not that convinced.

My Scout now sorted.

Dealer originally told me the anti-roll bar link bushes were a bit sloppy, but then at this 10k service they rang on the day and said the lower arm rear bushes were showing signs of heavy wear.

Told them to do the work whilst the car was there and, bingo, it's completely eliminated the knocking from the front end. Tested it on the the steep rough track I used before (and worked out that the noise was much worse coming downhill than going uphill) and it's a different car.

Can't guarantee of course that it's the same for every vehicle but that's what sorted it on mine.

Now have a spare set of new ARB links that I never got round to fitting, and the old set of rear bushes so that if I decide to fit polybushes when these rubber ones go again (which they will) then I've got the alloy mounts already.

Hope others have sorted their problems too.